Barthes Vision

July 13, 2015

This year, Roland Barthes would have turned 100 years old. In order to celebrate, the Institut Français has imagined an original and creative way to gather Internet users around Barthes and see the world through his words.

Performing Arts Interviews

July 11, 2015

This summer is the perfect time for you to read the bunch of interviews we had along the year. Among those, we selected four of them—with four persons that will be present on New York's performing arts scene this fall.

Digital Lab Call: for Applications

July 8, 2015

Applications are now open for the first session of the French-American Digital Lab, a creative workshop for startups and content creators from the cultural sector. Session 1: New York will be hosted by the Made in New York Media Center by IFP and will take place from in November 16 to November 25, 2015.

Best French Books for Summer

July 7, 2015

30 books, one every other day for the months of July and August: that seems like a reasonable goal for a bookworm’s happy vacation, doesn’t it?
But if you anticipate that you won’t have time to read all of these books, please feel free to shop around and take your pick from our list of this year’s best summer reads (all the titles below have been published in the US in 2015).

Speakers of French in the US

June 11, 2015

The latest U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey reports that 1,301,443 people in the U.S. speak French at home.This includes speakers of French dialects, such as Patois and Cajun, who are over 5 years old. In fact, French is the fifth most common non-English language spoken in U.S. households, after Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog.

The Fox Sisters grew up outside of Rochester, NY, in a house with a reputation for being haunted, due to a series of strange “knockings” that plagued its inhabitants. Fed up with the sounds, the youngest of the sisters (aged twelve) challenged their ghost and ended up communicating with a spirit who had been murdered in the house and buried in the cellar.

Louis’s increasingly elaborate fantasy of what comes with being a supreme ruler: the pleasures, the responsibilities, the capriciousness. “What’s good for me is good for my people,” thinks King Louis in this clever fable about the randomness and absurdity of power, but also its abuses, and the hidden dangers in a society built on conformity.

Pierre Niox is an antiques dealer who suffers from a curious affliction: he insists on doing everything quickly, which puts him at odds with other human beings.And yet he is equally sure that, if he slows down, even for a moment, he will die or, worse, miss a new opportunity.

July 28, 2015-The digital revolution leapt from its screens and into the physical world this week, as a host of wearable, readable and playable gadgets made the digital world tangible. From musical sculptures to a giant, malicious Pac-Man, here’s what you need to know.

The Fox Sisters grew up outside of Rochester, NY, in a house with a reputation for being haunted, due to a series of strange “knockings” that plagued its inhabitants. Fed up with the sounds, the youngest of the sisters (aged twelve) challenged their ghost and ended up communicating with a spirit who had been murdered in the house and buried in the cellar.

Louis’s increasingly elaborate fantasy of what comes with being a supreme ruler: the pleasures, the responsibilities, the capriciousness. “What’s good for me is good for my people,” thinks King Louis in this clever fable about the randomness and absurdity of power, but also its abuses, and the hidden dangers in a society built on conformity.

Pierre Niox is an antiques dealer who suffers from a curious affliction: he insists on doing everything quickly, which puts him at odds with other human beings.And yet he is equally sure that, if he slows down, even for a moment, he will die or, worse, miss a new opportunity.

Beckett festival and his life as a special operative during WWII; Why aren't the French producing as many philosophers in the 21st century?; Simone de Beauvoir gives dating advice; Books forgotten on airplanes; Kirkus highlights three upcoming children's books

music

Our ‘Colorful Chanson Française’ playlist highlights a selection of timeless French classics through the novel lens of color with 14 famous songs with a color in their title. From Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose” to Indochine’s “Pink Water”, (re)discover these gems while pondering the colors that inspired them.

On July 14, 1789, the citizens of Paris sparked the French Revolution by storming the Bastille, a notorious royal prison. What better way to celebrate this very metal event, than by jumping head first into the vibrant French metal scene?

A prolific French artist possessing perfect pitch, Chassol (who studied at Berklee in Boston) recently released 'Big Sun' to major acclaim from outlets like The Fader, OUT, and Brooklyn Vegan. The bureauexport team in New York sat down with Chassol via Skype, resulting in the following interview, notably exploring Chassol's unique concept of ultrascore, among other topics

Renowned Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré is returning to the US for summer and fall tour that includes, notably, a free concert at BRIC's Celebrate Brooklyn at the Prospect Park Bandshell on July 16th.

Thylacine began his music producer career in 2012, offering his audience a powerful version of electronic music guided by the female voices with whom he has collaborated with in the past several years. Drawing on influences such as Philipp Glass, Four Tet and Moderat, Thylacine aka William Rezé is accompanied on stage by Laetitia Bely's graphic projections, staging concerts that blur the boundaries between all the senses. We met William and Laetitia during their brief tour in the United States earlier this year. Their shows at SXSW and at Piano's in New York were well received, with the trip to New York also providing an opportunity for William to finally meet with Dyllan, who sang for the first time with him on stage. Since the interview the team headed to Vietnam and Russia before returning to France for summer festival season.

Visual & Performing Arts

Read our interview of Virginie Bobin, editor of Composing Differences, a book echoing ART²: An International Platform on Contemporary Art organized in April 2014 and initiated by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York along with other participants.

French designer Samy Rio who was awarded with the Grand Prix of this year's Design Parade at Villa Noailles, for using bamboo to create functional and recyclable designs pieces. His work had previously been presented at Wanteddesign in New York.

This summer is the perfect time for you to read the bunch of interviews we had along the year. Among those, we selected four of them—with four persons that will be present on New York's performing arts scene this fall.

Interview with Caecilia Tripp, a conceptual artist whose primary mediums are filmic installation, photography and performance. Tripp was invited by the Bronx Museum to present her latest film Music for (prepared) Bicycles during the summer of 2015.

Muriel, a middle-aged beautician, has been fhe number one fan of French pop star Vincent Lacroix for twenty years. Night after night, she repeatedly rushes to the front row of the singer's concert, lingering backstage for hours afterward hoping to catch a glimpse from her idol. When Vincent shows up at her door one night, she finds herself dragged into the French pop star's suspicious case that involves her girlfriend, discovered dead under mysterious circumstances.

This month, Canapé, the Emmy-award nominated television show on CUNY TV co-produced with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, highlighted one of our favorite Embassy programs: Films on the Green. Filmed mainly at the June 12th screening of Pépé le Moko in Washington Square Park, this edition features interviews with three of the evening’s 800 guests.

The Poitou-Charentes Region, in partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, is pleased to offer a cultural program to join the celebration of the Hermione in Washington, DC. Discover the series The Hermione Brings to Shore French Animated Films featuring two César award-winning French animated films.

Since 2015, participating universities will now choose SIX FILMS:
FIVE CONTEMPORARY (FEATURED AND/OR ALTERNATIVE SELECTION) + ONE CLASSIC FILM.
The grant to cover the cost of screening SIX FILMS (either in digital or in 35 millimeter), will be $2,200.